


Sad Smile

by Akalon



Category: Multi-Fandom
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-12 12:07:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16872660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akalon/pseuds/Akalon





	Sad Smile

“TORKYA!” A female orc screamed running after another armor clad orc with a barrel of explosive powder tucked under one arm as she bulldozed into the human forces straight for the back line mages set up on a platform behind. It was heavily guarded but after the catapults had rained down fire and rubble only a spattering of guards remained to protect the mages as they casts their spells.

“TORKYA FALL BACK! THAT’S AN ORDER!” She screams, slamming into a shield and being dragged into a fight.

The orc barrels on and keeps going despite the order. “THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO END THIS!” The orc woman screams.

“TORKYA!” The orc’s voice roars over the battle and swings her mace into the human’s helm, successfully bringing the human to the ground. Just as Torkya reaches the mages.

They open fire on her and she’s engulfed in a column of bright flame. It takes a few seconds and she staggers forward, bringing a mage down with her when the barrel lights and explodes.

It was the edge they needed to turn the battle.

She was the reason your people were singing and cheering in victory.

—-

The leader came back from battle with that familiar scowl on her face. Lips drawn taunt over thin tusks. It was always a victory in the end but she never seemed to join in the boisterous celebrations of her comrades even as they threw their bodies into hers. She would drink and listen but she was quiet and reserved. At the end of the night she’d find someone who was dying to take her home and leave with them but one thing never changed.

Her smiles were always sad after a victory.

It wasn’t your place really, to stick your nose in the orc’s business, but you’d seen her around enough to wonder why she never smiled in the face of victory. Surely her people were happy to have more land to plow and room to grow?

You sit down next to her on the thick log next to the fire in the middle of the temporary camp.

“Begone. I have no use for you.” She whispers. It seemed more like a warning growl than anything else.

“I could go.” You say, not moving.

Huffing she rolls her eyes and shoves her clay cup into your hands. “Then make yourself useful.”

“Hmm.” You hum, looking up at the night sky. “Every life is useful for something… isn’t that right? Some just need instruction.” Looking to her you see her green eyes narrow in the golden light of the fire. The orc’s own philosophy toward ‘lesser’ races. Such as yourself. Human and plain as they come, stuck being a servant to an orc after they rolled through your village, slaughtering damn near everyone. The way the war was going humans wouldn’t be in these lands much longer. Those who lived, were enslaved. Those who fled were stuck in unforgiving ground up in the mountains.

Standing you move to refresh her drink and bring it back. “Everyone seems to have made it back in one piece tonight. ”

Her silent glare is crushing but she looks toward the fire and slowly takes the drink back. “Not everyone.”

Watching the shadows and light dance over her face you sigh and look back up to the sky. Your people’s spirits were up there. Their lives written in the stars. Some to old and faded to be seen. Miles and miles above the ground. Further than anyone could reach even on the tallest peak.

“Do you hate us?” She asks after a moment of silence. “For what we’ve done to your kind?”

Her words drag your eyes away from the stars and you stare at her once more. She’s staring down into her cup, brow furrowed, lips curled into a snarl. Sucking in a deep breath you smile and sit back down. “I do.”

Her head jerks up, eyes fixated on you with an intensity hotter than the raging bonfire before you.

Glancing over to her you chuckle. “Does it surprise you?”

“No.” She blurts, looking away and taking a gulp of her spirits. Biding time with it as she mulls over her next words. “How come you chose to stay then? You never tried to run…”

“I don’t like heights.” You joke, a morbid joke all things considered. “Plus Torkya keeps me happy enough. Treats me alright.”

She snorts, a crack of a smile on her face but her eyes are on the ground. “You choose to be enslaved…because you didn’t want to flee to the mountains because of…the height?”

Blinking you watch her shake her head and heave a wheezing laugh. “No. And i’m not a slave. Not to her.”

“No?” She asks, raising a brow.

You stand up and take another deep breath. Letting it out slowly as you smooth your clothing. “I should be going. I have yet to find Torkya. She won’t be happy if I hide from her for long. Besides. I made you smile. It’s my one good deed for the day.”

You get half-way through the crowd of boisterous orcs before a hand clamps down on your arm. You turn expecting a drunken Torkya ready to drag you off but it’s the orc from before. The one who has a sad smile. The leader.

“Yes?” You wonder, your heart jumping a bit in fear. What could she want with you?

“She’s gone.” She says bluntly.

“Gone? Gone where? She always sends someone for me if she’s sent somewhere.” You sigh. Again she’s left you behind to be dragged to some godforsaken place probably in a swamp where the fight is particularly hard. You hated mud. She hated mud. You BOTH hated mud.

The orc releases you but her face is impassive. “She never married…so all of her belongings will be returned to her mother back in Dakur… We’ll be dropping you off on our way back to Ki’duran. The rest of her belongings will arrive shortly after.”

Your face must have gone pale because she touched your shoulder in an attempt to comfort you but you just looked to the sky. Scanning it.

“I’m sorry. I know she was kind to you.” The orc says.

You can’t find her. No new stars that you could see. The sky looked the same as it always did. The sky started to blur, tears burning your eyes as you tried to blink them away.

To much time must have passed because her hand slid from your shoulder and she looked up to the stars with you. “What are you doing?”

“Looking for her.” You snap, “But of course…she’s not there.”

The orc stands there in silence as you clench your teeth and press your lips into a tight lipped smile. Staring at the ground a rage thick as tar bubbles up.

“I had hoped you’d taken enough.” Snarling the words you rip away from the orc. Storming off to Torkya’s tent you disappeared inside. Surrounding yourself in her furs and bundling up despite the summer night heat.

They had no say over you and because of such they couldn’t command for you to do anything like Torkya could. You weren’t their property. So when it came for them to pack up and leave you were packed with the rest of her things.

Nights rolled by as slowly as the days. You sat by the fire for most of them. Sleeping very little. Instead you opted to stare up at the stars.

“Doesn’t your neck hurt?” A familiar voice asked.

You glanced over to see the sad smile orc and scoffed. “Find another if you need help.”

The orc just rolled her eyes. “I don’t need a slave. I came to check on you.”

Looking her up and down you scoff and turn back to the stars.

“Have you found her yet?” She asks.

“No. I thought…Maybe since she was a part of my story. She’d be up there waiting.” You sigh and rub your hands on your knees. “But she’s not.”

The orc stares at you for a long while, silent. “Did you love her?”

The question catches you so off guard you snap around to stare at her. Shes serious, emerald eyes piercing into you. “I… Don’t know. I didn’t run because…well she gave me a life better than the one I had? I wasn’t forced to be with her. She’d let me have my space…” You scoff. “Come to think of it.. I was probably more of a pampered pet than anything else.”

Nodding the orc leader sits down beside you. “She loved you.”

Pressing your lips together you look at the ground. “Is that supposed to help?” Your voice cracks and you take a deep breath. “Cause it doesn’t.”

“Yeah…” Silence stretched between you and she sighs. “I won’t stop you if you want to run.”

“And do what? Live my life in the mountains? Where some human man will ‘save’ me?” You snort. “Rather a drunk orc accidentally kill me when they fall on top of me one night. Seems like a better way to go.”

She snorts and shakes her head. “Are all your jokes this morbid?”

You shrug. “In all honesty I’ll probably just be sold off either way. Either some human man will ‘buy’ me with a dowry he pays my dead father for. Or an orc buys me from Torkie’s mom when she sells me.”

“Torkie..?” She mutters under her breath. “You really think her mother will sell you?” The orc asks.

“You really think she’ll keep me?” You counter, raising a brow. “I’m worthless as a slave. I talk back to much, i’m plain, I was only kept because Torkya liked having me around, having someone to talk to, lay with. Not because of how well I could cooked or-or how well I cleaned…” Your voice cracks and you rub the heel of your palm into your eyes, smearing the tears before they could fall.

Silence falls between you again.

“You should get some rest.” You say, wrapping your arms around yourself. “The rest of them need you to lead them.”

Her green eyes stare into you. Unreadable as ever. “I know what death can do to those lef-”

“Do you?” You snap. “You suddenly care about someone’s left behind possessions? Then you should have brought her back.” Scoffing you stand up and move to the other side of the fire. “Don’t pretend you suddenly care.”

“I do care.” She says across the fire.

“Right. Like you would care for a stray dog?” You shake your head. “ I’m not here to make you feel good about yourself.”

“Caring about you would make me feel better?” She wonders.

“Obviously.” You scoff,” Otherwise why would you bother? No one else has. No. You feel bad because you’re the leader and she died under your command. So you feel responsible to cheer up her lost pet now that she’s gone but you forget I hate you. I hate all of you. So unless you can bring her back or die in her place? Treat me like you would the rest of her things.”

That sure does silence the orc. She stands and nods before wondering off.

–

After that night by the fire she leaves you alone. Well, she stops talking to you. She still brings you meals and makes sure you’re settled for the night before turning in herself. You thought you’d be thankful for it but it just drives home how alone you really are here. Now. Among the orcs. Without Torkya here.

So you leave. One night you pack up some of Torkya’s personal items, things you’d made or given her. Grabbing a fur you wrap it around your shoulders and start walking toward the edge of camp.

Sure enough you run into her there. Leaning against a tree like she was waiting for you.

You keep walking.

“You sure about that?” She asks as you pass.

Stopping you groan and look over to her. “About what?”

“Stealing her things and leaving.” She pushes off the tree.

“Stealing?” You balk, eyes wide. “But I gave her-.”

“I just asked if you were certain that is what you wanted.” She replies calmly.

You two stare each other down, crickets and locus singing in the silence. “Fine!” You huff. “Take that too!” You throw the stuff at her feet, ripping the fur from your shoulders and staring at it before throwing it at her. She catches it and you glare at her. “You sure you don’t want my god-forsaken life too? Huh? You already took everything else I had.”

The orc bends to pick the rest of the thrown items up. Watching you as you head off in some random direction. “The mountains are the other way.”

“I’M NOT GOING TO THE BLOODY MOUNTAINS!” You shout back.

“Then where are you going?!” She hollers back.

“The void you stupid orc!” You scoff. “Always acting like you fucking care.” 

You can feel the orc’s gaze on your back but you keep walking. Eventually she falls into stride beside you.

“What now you’re going to follow me?” You snap.

“I’m not stopping you.” She replies. “But I don’t think Torkya would have wanted this for you.”

Stopping you turn and start walking off in a different direction. “I’d rather be with her in the darkness of the void than be here with you and your people. Or humans who only care about a woman who can give them sons.” 

She’s quick to catch up and she stops you by grabbing your arm. “I can’t let you kill yourself simply because she’s gone.”

“Yes. You can.” You pull at your arm and despite her hands being full with all the things you’d thrown at her earlier she holds firm.

“I’ll buy you from her mother. Please. Don’t do this.”

For a moment you’re to shocked to realize your jaw has dropped. “An orc? Begging? Why?”

“Because… I’ve let enough lives slip through my fingers due to my mistakes. I’m TIRED of seeing people DIE. We fight and fight and they drink it all away but it doesn’t bring them back. And now another life threatens to be snuffed out because of…” Her emerald eyes shine and if it wasn’t for the darkness you’d think her eyes were watering with tears. “I… can’t take watching people die anymore. Please. Stay.”


End file.
